


Gordon Clifford (20/11/2095-28/02/2120)

by Branithar



Series: Reanimate [3]
Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Abusive Parents, Angst, Assisted Dying, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Hospitals, Medical Conditions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:33:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25440013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Branithar/pseuds/Branithar
Summary: I run tran5rightsos on Tumblr! Feel free to send asks about this or any of my other 5sos fics!Comments are always welcome.
Series: Reanimate [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1770253
Kudos: 2





	Gordon Clifford (20/11/2095-28/02/2120)

Gordy’s eyes hurt. He’d barely been able to sleep the past few nights, apprehension swallowing every thought. This was the right thing to do, it was best for his family, but every fiber of his being told him he was making a mistake. He should be fighting to survive, not signing away however long he had left so that his remains can be in slightly better condition when his family sells them. 

As his parents can in, Gordy shoved the thoughts to the back of his mind. He wouldn’t cry. Not in front of them. Not even when he saw that his mum was already crying, eyes red as if she had been for a while. She’d visited every day since his dad convinced him to sign up for a medically-assisted death a week ago and had cried every time. 

Even though it hurt, when she reached for a hug Gordy returned it. “I thought you weren’t coming for a minute there,” he whispered. It would have been a joke if it hadn’t been a very real possibility. 

“I’m sorry,” she sobbed, “We were late getting out.” 

“When are they doing it?” his dad demanded. Gordy had no doubt that it was his fault they were late. 

“Three,” he reminded him. 

“I’m sorry,” his mum repeated, “I wanted to spend the day with you.” 

“It’s okay.” It wasn’t. This was the last time he’d see his mother and he only had half an hour. 

“I’m missing a lunch with the CEO of VirtueX,” his dad grumbled. 

Gordy closed his eyes. He couldn’t do this now. Not with his mum right here. 

“It won’t hurt, will it?” she fretted, pulling away. 

“I’m pretty used to needles by now,” Gordy assured her. A lifetime of treatments for his ironblight made sure of that. “I think they’ll use this IV anyway.” 

His dad scoffed. A lifetime of being a drain on his hard-earned money, of being the shame of the family. Gordy was pretty sure he already told people at work that he was dead. Or maybe he just said he didn’t have a son. He’d said that to Gordy enough times. 

“You know, they said that they’ll be able to cure the ironblight so that my reanimate won’t have it,” Gordy told his mum conversationally, hoping she’d find it comforting, “That’ll be nice, won’t it?” 

“At least your body will finally be good for something.”

Gordy’s mum stared at her husband in shock. She looked like she wanted to say something, but Gordy beat her to it.

“Why the fuck are you doing this?” he demanded, “I’m about to fucking die and you’re still treating me like shit.” 

“You’ve never done a bloody thing for this family,” his dad shouted, “You’ve been nothing but disrespectful, ungrateful and lazy your whole life and-”

“ _Lazy?_ ” Gordy scoffed, “I haven’t been able to fucking _walk_ since I was fifteen.”

His dad made to snap back, but Gordy cut him off. 

“Get out. Let me fucking die in peace.” 

Gordy’s dad glared for a moment before heading to the door. “Phylis.”

She stared at him. “No, I’m staying.”

“Phylis,” he snapped, turning his gaze on her. 

She gave Gordy a sorry look before nodding and following him out of the room, leaving her only child on his own. He was about to die and she still didn’t have the guts to stand up to him. He hadn’t been home in three years because she wouldn’t argue when her dickhead husband refused to spend even a fraction of his absurd wealth on the equipment and carers Gordy had needed as his ironblight worsened, and now she was letting him die the way he’d been living, alone and wishing his parents gave a shit. 

“Phylis!” his dad shouted from down the hall. 

She came back in, racing to hug Gordy again. “I love you,” she whispered. 

“I love you too,” he replied, because it was the last time he’d ever be able to tell her that and he had enough regrets as it was. 

She left almost as quickly as she returned and Gordy imagined that she was begging her husband for forgiveness, as she always did on the rare occasion that she chose her son’s needs over her husband’s wants. 

At ten to three, a nurse came in. “Are you ready?”

Gordy stared at him for a moment, frantic thoughts of saying no and seeing his mum again and apologising racing through his mind. His dad would be pissed of he canceled and the idea of living a little longer just to spite him was tempting. 

“Yes.” 

What was the point, though? He was going to die either way. This was the least painful way to go. 

A doctor in an Elysiworks coat came in and smiled at Gordy. “This won’t hurt a bit,” she promised. 

Gordy nodded and laid back. 

“Did you want any final words recorded?” the nurse asked. 

“No, I’m good.” 

The doctor was right about it not hurting. Gordy became aware of what felt like a pressure on his chest, but there was no pain, just a distinctive numbness spreading from the IV needle. 

What wasn’t painless was the sudden realisation that this was it. He couldn’t take it back now, the chemicals were in his blood and even as his breaths came out faster they got shallower. He wanted his mum back, wanted to apologise again and make things right because he’d left them _so_ wrong, but at some point his eyes had shut and he couldn’t open them, couldn’t raise his hand to pull the needle out. 

Gordy felt cold as his lungs became too weak to breathe, finally giving up on him after all these years.

**Author's Note:**

> I run tran5rightsos on Tumblr! Feel free to send asks about this or any of my other 5sos fics!
> 
> Comments are always welcome.


End file.
